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When it comes to magical girl shows, it's important to understand that outfits have different purposes for their intended use. I never got the argument of the Sailor Moon outfits being impractical when they clearly aren't made for physical fighting but magic attacks. THREAD
Notice how within Sailor Moon with few exceptions, no Sailor Senshi uses physical combat. Instead, they tend to use tricks and strategies to win. The monsters also reflect this as they are physically shown to be incredibly strong, but very weak to magic attacks.
Trying to fight these monsters 1v1 would end up badly. As a result, dodging attacks, looking for openings, and using distance as a tool IS your best strategy. You have a better chance to escape AND some time to form a plan. The show is really good at portraying this idea.
Mars, for example, starts out with her purifying spell as well as her standard attack showing that these monsters can easily be sought out and defeated by pure magical attacks alone. So that asks the question...why would they need standard bulky armor? They don't.
Even the enemies are designed to try and outsmart the Senshi. They aren't all brutish monsters, but clever ones looking for the opportunity to kill. And they sometimes succeed! The Sailor Senshi usually have to find ways to either do the same and that's the point.
The action isn't supposed to be standard 1v1, Fist-to-cuffs fight scenes. They're more or less trying to outsmart the enemy. You don't really need armor for that. Just a really good strategy. History has shown even the worst-off military campaigns can win with good tactics.
I made a thread awhile ago and briefly talked about action and how the outfits work to the advantage of Precure: https://twitter.com/inkfycreates/status/1161843582095020032?s=20
Notice how within different magical girl series like Precure the outfits stylized for action/form NOT just magic.
Notice how within different magical girl series like Precure the outfits stylized for action/form NOT just magic.
Precure outfits use elements like shorts, fingerless gloves, boots, etc.. You probably wouldn't see this used for a series like Sailor Moon. This is not because it's "better", it's because Pretty Cure is more action-heavy. The animators/designers have to consider-
-how each cure would fight in a 1v1 battle physically. Every cure in the season will use a hybrid of magical/physical attacks with no exceptions. As a result, how an outfit works for a character in those situations takes more precedence. Because you WILL see that more often.
Precure's enemies tend to reflect this as well. They do have strategic villains (Generals), but they also have giant weekly monsters that need to be taken down with a group effort/physical & magical forces. AFTERWARDS, the monster is usually killed with a magical team attack.
Precure more of less is a hybrid when considering magical girl series in terms of action, but it's a good one that showcases the ideas it's going for. The teamwork comes from a physical effort and needing to find clear openings to attack.
Even in super forms, this is reflected with the differences of each series. Notice Sailor Moon gets a huge bow, extended sleeves, jewelry, etc. She doesn't need a heavy armor because the goal is to make her look like an elegant princess and to showcase her powerful MAGICAL form.
Let's look at Precure's super forms! 1v1 action is more important to the overall series. Even the super forms reflect this! They still remain elegant, but at the same time, they are an evolution of their normal forms. Thus, the need to consider those elements.
Shugo Chara is also another magic-heavy series. They still have the characters have 1v1s, but these are magical attacks to an extent (staffs, spears, wands, etc.). When looking at the character designs this is something you notice right away. The threat IS still magical.
Even ignoring context of the transformations being reflection of your true self, the magic within this show is more or less still considered a tool in it's own right. Armor doesn't stop this as the magic used can penetrate this really easily.
Let's look at the enemy threats for Shugo Chara, shall we? X eggs like Precure's enemies can manifest and harm other people. Armor itself would not work as X eggs affect you an EMOTIONAL level. It doesn't mean having some sort of protection is bad, it's just not useful here.
Again, using strategies works the best here because if magic can penetrate your armor anyways, what's the point of having it to begin with? Not much, as I said. This isn't even talking about how the outfits could be considered their own fantastical version of armor itself.
You wouldn't get mad a Minky Momo or Creamy Mami for not wearing "proper armor" when transforming into their "forms". Why? Because it's clear that the intent isn't for a straight up action series, but more of less a fun, magical one. Intent DOES matter!
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is another example. The show has her doing many tricks and flips to defeat demons as they've very agile in this show. She's a gymnast! The original outfit was a skirt, but her updated one after a certain episode has her wearing shorts for more flexibility.
I can 100% understand not liking EVERY single outfit that comes out the genre (even raunchier ones), but that's a matter of personal taste. I think some of the most iconic outfits have come from an "impractical" standpoint. Not everything needs to be 100% real to be enjoyable.
I think sometimes people feel that they either HAVE to be super conservative with their outfits or that if they show fanservice it's bad inherently. That's not the case at all! It's how these elements are used that makes them fun to do. So when considering if armor is truly-
-necessarily for a genre that's more or less a power fantasy for young girls, don't sweat it too much! Make whatever you please, whether you like fanservice or don't, there's plenty of ways to create a magical girl that suites story and personal tastes.
